Crossroads
by h3AdS1aMM3r
Summary: Sometimes, it is called chance, coincidence and at other times luck. Yet in rare moments like these, we call it fate. A series of meetings that were intertwined by this 'fate'. (Includes characters from all Persona games)
1. Chapter 1: Counselling and Therapy

Summary: Sometimes, it is called chance, coincidence and at other times luck. Yet in rare moments like these, we call it fate. A series of shorts about meetings that intertwined by this 'fate'. Events are not in any form of game or timeline order.

WARNING: Chapters may greatly vary in length.

 **Chapter 1: Counselling and Therapy**

As a therapist, encountering people with various emotional and mental scars was not an uncommon occurrence. The child being caught in the middle of divorcing parents, the man who had lost his loved one, hallucination of strange things that should never be there and sometimes even the most common cases of chronic depression.

Maki Sonomura opened her file and quickly glazed through her latest client's profile. While it was not out of the possibility range, this was the first time she had such a young patient. Most who saw her were usually teenagers or young adults.

"Accident in Tatsumi Port Island…"

Maki had seen it on television a few weeks before. According to the news, there was a large explosion that happened on the island's "Moonlight Bridge", resulting in the casualties and deaths of several innocents. Unfortunately, the child's parents were also counted in those numbers.

According to the information she received, the child had become increasingly withdrawn from school and was home-tutored ever since the incident. His guardian, a cousin, had also recorded numerous incidents where the child would tell him off seeing shadowy figures hovering over certain people and that when the child got up at night, the moon would be full and the whole world would be green. Hallucinations post traumatic events were a very common issue that Maki had to deal with, but for someone that young to go through all of it...

 _The poor child_ , Maki sighed and leaned back in her chair, _he's only seven and already so many unfortunate events have befallen him._

She looked up at the clock on her wall. Six in the evening, that meant the child would be the last client for the day. At times when there were little to no patients, Maki's thoughts always drifted to a few years back to the Mikage Ward incident. Horrifying scenes of the town being swallowed up and attacked by demons filled her mind. Flashes of her friends as they battled with their personas against Kandori. Images of herself...no, the 'ideal' Maki travelling with them through the alternate world.

Images of _**his**_ smiling face...

A soft knock on the door quickly alerted Maki, informing her of her clients arrival.

"Come in, the door's open."

That was the first encounter Maki Sonomura had with Makoto Yuuki.

As she exchanged greetings with the older man she assumed to be his foster parents, Maki stole a quick glance at the child. He had an unusual, navy blue hair that floated slightly over his right eye. Instead of the usual large curious eyes of many other children, his were laden with dark circles that were only seen on working adults and his gray eyes seemed to just stare at...nothing.

Also, Maki swore it might have been her imagination, but as the duo entered the room, she could feel the air growing heavier. She felt the battle ready senses that had not started for a long time.

"Do you need me to be here, Makoto?"

The blue haired boy glanced up momentarily at the question from his cousin. Without saying a word, he turned back to the ground before shaking his head. After a sigh and a short bow, the older man left for the waiting area.

 _Wow, he's really brave to be in here by himself._

Turning to Makoto, Maki decided it was time for her session to start, "Alright, Makoto-kun, if you could just lie down over there, we can get star-"

She felt it then.

A few moments she could dismiss it simply as fatigue and drowsiness after a long day of work, but now she knew that it definitely was not the case. Even as he simply stood across her, she could the familiar, intense spiritual energy that could radiate from a single kind of person: a persona user.

Yet, it was far different from just spiritual power. It felt akin to that of a demon's, but far more destructive. What troubled her even more was that in the depths of her mind, she could feel Verdandi crying out, warning her over and over again to stay on her guard. For a moment, Maki swore she saw a shadowy figure, clad in multiple coffins and wielding a menacing blade loom over Makoto's small frame.

"Sonamura-san?"

As quickly as she saw those visions, the sound of Makoto's soft voice and the gaze of his weary eyes made it all vanish, "You're pale."

Maki blinked and for a moment, before giving the boy a nervous laugh, "Haha...sorry. I guess I'm just tired after working so long."

"...oh."

 _Yeah...I'm probably just tired..._

Shortly after, the boy placed his little bag to the side and lay down on the recliner as instructed. Wanting to break the tension between them, Maki did her best to smiled at him and began, "Just relax, alright Makoto-kun? If there's no rush for you to go anywhere just take your time."

Makoto nodded obediently and allowed the therapist to conduct her session.

* * *

Maki was not sure if she came across as unfriendly or it was simply his nature, but Makoto would hardly speak even when she asked him simple questions. Most of his answers were either light nods or a soft "no".

From what she gathered, Makoto lived in a pretty big house with his parents and a slightly older sister. He now had a caretaker and the cousin who came along and stayed with him as his guardians. Beyond that, Maki could not get much else out of him.

Even when asking about the strange green colours he saw at night or the shadowy figures he had seen, the child merely replied with a description how the things around him looked, seemingly not bothered by the fact that they might not be real.

It was only when she brought up the topic of the accident did she manage to see him crack any form of emotion at all. Once in awhile as Makoto recounted the incident, he would go into a shaking fit and start calling out various names he knew.

"And...and then...after the sky turned the green, the big black monster...papa...mama…"

 _It could very well be hallucinations...but..._

Something about the way Makoto described the incident felt real to Maki. When he talked about a girl in gold battling a monster, something in her mind told her that the boy was not exaggerating, but simply recounting an event. In fact, of all people, Maki herself had been through an adventure filled with demons, personas and alternate dimensions.

 _I wouldn't want to scare someone so young though..._

When she tried to simply console him and try to convince him that those images were not real, the blue haired child would only look at her pleadingly, as if desperately wanting her to believe that it was all true. Eventually, it came to the point where the young child could not manage his words and started to sob.

 _He's so different from when he first came here._

She knew trying to talk to him in this state would be pointless, working long enough in this line of work taught her that. Maybe in a not so direct way, Maki kind of knew what Makoto was going through. An unfamiliar environment where parents were pretty much non-existent, having to deal with loneliness and retreating into oneself. Sure, maybe her scenario and his were quite different, but she could empathise with the boy.

Without thinking, the former persona user reached out and embraced the younger one. As he continued to shiver and cry, all Maki could think about was to at least let Makoto have a temporary outlet to get his feelings out.

"Papa…! Mama…!"

"It's okay...it's okay."

Once more she felt that powerful sensation that she had felt before. This time, as Maki looked past him, she could vaguely make out a dimly glowing figure. She could not quite make out what it was, but the aura of it was definitely recognisable.

 _Ah...then he really is…_

Eventually, the boy's crying and shivering started slow down and stabilise, soon becoming nothing more than sniffles. Maki decided that now would be an appropriate time to speak, "Feeling better?"

"Kinda...I think," came Makoto's muffled reply. A small smile graced the older woman's face. While it certainly would not have an extremely long lasting effect, crying always did help one to vent emotions out.

"Makoto-kun."

The boy stared at her quizzically as she continued, "Right now, there's something special that I want to do. But I'll need you to close your eyes for a moment."

Makoto blinked his slightly red eyes for a moment, before nodding obediently at the smiling older lady, doing as instructed. Reaching into her bag, Maki pulled out a set of headphones and placed it over Makoto, the latter twitching a bit at the unfamiliar sensation around his head but eyes still kept closed. Adjusting it slightly so it would not fall off, Maki hit "play" on her walkman.

" _ **I hear a voice the causes me to start walking**_

 _ **So that I can go to all sorts of paths…"**_

Though initially tense, the St Hermelin Graduate could see the child's face slowly relax as the song went on.

"...louder."

Maki complied, turning it just a wee bit higher to ensure it was still safe enough for his ears. As she looked upon him, Makoto's face slowly looked like one of pure relaxation. Unconsciously, Maki's smile started to widen.

Back when she always used to feel alone, she could always coop herself up in her room and just listen to songs over and over again. Even now, her old habits still carried on. She was not sure if it would work, but it seemed to do the trick.

" _ **I hear a voice telling me not to give up**_

 _ **So that I can go to all sorts of paths…**_

 _ **Your hear a voice that causes you to stay by my side…"**_

Just as the song hit its middle verses, Maki stopped the player and removed the headphones from the younger one's ears, "You can open your eyes now."

Despite the cross features that were now present on his face, Makoto opened his eyes, only to have the older one place something into his hands: a grayish, rectangular walkman with a single cassette tape loaded into its dock and a pair of oversized, gray headphones.

Initially, the child was delighted, though not shown through a smile but the wide eyes and and constant fumbling with the music player was a clear indication to Maki. After a brief moment, he stopped and looked up to her with a curious expression. The older woman simply grinned and ruffled his hair, "Of course you can."

That was all the prompting it took for Makoto to quickly unzip his bag and carefully keeping the new gadget he was given. Moving closer to him, Maki crouched down to his level and patted him on the head, "Also, don't worry about giving it back soon or anything, alright? Just remember: if you ever feel like you're worried or scared, just listen to it."

The young boy glanced up at her hand on his head, albeit slightly annoyed by the gesture, but nodded respectfully to her advice.

"Good," Maki smiled in reply and stood back up, "go tell your cousin that I'll arrange for the next meeting in about two weeks or so, okay?"

Makoto nodded, albeit with slightly more force, eliciting a giggle from the therapist. She could probably guess that he wanted to get to using his new device as soon as he got a chance to.

As Maki watched his retreating form go towards the door, a single thought passed through her mind while she packed her things.

 _If that really was a persona I sensed from him, I only pray that he doesn't run into any other supernatural powers too soon._

"...ank you…"

She head tilted at the sound of Makoto's voice once more.

"...thank you, Sonomura-san. See you."

Maki smiled and waved at him. As the door slowly closed, she thought she once again saw the glowing figure. White hair that draped across its face like Makoto's and a harp stuck to its back. As it looked back at her, she could almost feel it saying something to her.

 _Thank you_

Maki could only smile back at it as the doors shut.

* * *

And this is it for the first chapter of Crossroads.

If you do have any characters that you want to appear in a crossroad chapter, do drop me a message or leave it in the reviews! I'll consider them thoroughly along with the ones I already have in mind!

Reviews will be appreciated and see ya later~


	2. Chapter 2: Business

**Chapter 2: Business**

Considering their family backgrounds and the types of businesses they were in, it was odd for Mitsuru Kirijo to have hardly met him.

The first time happened many years ago, but the heiress was already old enough to remember the events that transpired. Her father had went into a meeting regarding a partnered company about business disagreements. As with rich socialites, the meeting was a hushed one and hardly any noise could be heard from beyond the large double doors which young Mitsuru waited.

The only audible voice that sounded after a long while was a sigh, most likely from her father, followed by, "I see...it is most regrettable that we have to come to this conclusion."

"Indeed it is, Kirijo."

The doors opened and Mitsuru watched as various men and women in business attire started pouring out from the room, each with a rather solemn expression on their face. She had recognised some of them as her father's colleagues when she went to the office with him, but a lot more unfamiliar faces that day as well.

When Takeharu Kirijo made his exit, an unfamiliar man was trailing behind him. He wore a dark leather suit with a similarly matching pants. Around his neck was a scarf with the roman numeral of the number one blatantly embedded in the middle.

The young heiress wanted to ask the father many questions she had. Who was that man and how come both of them looked so displeased? Why was everyone else in the halls so silent and solemn? But Mitsuru had learnt not to ask such trivial questions, especially in the face of another whom she knew was an important figure of authority. She kept her silence as the two adults continued their discussion in hushed tones.

The unfamiliar man raised his brow as he noticed the younger girl now in their presence. He bent to her level and seemed to study her, but only for a brief moment before standing up again.

"My daughter," Takeharu Kirijo quickly interjected before the other man could comment.

"So it would seem."

The younger of the two men removed his glasses momentarily, wiping away the dust that was accumulating on its rims, "You'd do well not to involve her in any of the _other_ things that we talked about, Kirijo-san."

"Nanjo."

The man known as Kei Nanjo only kept his gaze at the older one, whose normally stern and stoic facade was laced with something that almost seemed like concern and protectiveness. He blinked, if only once, before he fully understood why the Kirijo heir before him bore such an expression.

Pushing up his glasses, Kei started once more, "If it is not too much trouble, Kirijo-san, I would like to arrange another meeting with you on the next fortnight. I, and you as well, would be rather occupied in the coming days if I do recall. It will regard...things that we have talked about earlier along with other details I would like to ask you of."

Mitsuru watched as he quickly made his exit, briefly wondering why no one acknowledged the presence of the seemingly glowing butler by the man's side.

* * *

The second time they met was much, much later than she would have anticipated. By this time, she was already in her teens, had already recruited a certain platinum-haired, protein crazy boxer and his shifty looking best friend into her little team of shadow hunters.

She had gotten a call from him a few days prior to their actual meeting, though it was certainly out of the blue for her.

"I know this might be very sudden, Ms Mitsuru Kirijo, but I require your presence in my office this Thursday. I have cancelled all available plans for myself this evening, so I believe you would still be able to meet up straight after regular school hours. I have...a proposition to make."

Trying to ignore the fact that it hardly felt 'sudden' for him, Mitsuru was rather curious as to why the current Nanjo leader would even call for her. She had found out that a few years prior, the Nanjo group and Kirijo group had no longer been working together due to differing interests. The former were also rather unhappy that the funds they had contributed for the research of Koetsu Kirijo was used to bring about such a...monstrosity. Aside from the occasional meetings of her father and the Nanjo leader, the two groups would hardly meet.

Which is why it was still a slight surprise as Mitsuru found herself standing in a large, rather empty-looking office save for a few portraits and paintings hung on its walls. There were two other men with her in the room, one of whom was Kei Nanjo and a pierce-eared bodyguard with a mop-head who stood by the door.

Back to reality, Mitsuru stared on as Kei finished the last few words of his proposition. She could not believe her ears at what the man had just said.

"Is something the matter, Kirijo?" Kei asked and leaned forward in his chair, "I think that considering the state of which you and your friends are in right now, it would be rather beneficial, yes?"

"I feel obliged to ask as to why the Nanjo group would want to assist in funding our shadow annihilation team," Mitsuru quickly countered to his almost _snarky_ statement, "our companies have been on strangleholds for years now, and I see no reason why you would-"

"Before any further accusations, I would like to inform you that your father has agreed to this matter."

Kei took the heiress' silence as a prompt to continue. Reaching into his desk, he procured what seemed to be a written agreement. Mitsuru clearly recognised the signature at the bottom, a mesh of seemingly scribbled letters followed by an additional ink mark at the bottom of the words _Takeharu Kirijo._

It was an insult, at least to her, for one to make such a deal with their former partner-turned-competitor. She understood her father's intentions, however, and how much they needed this…

Kei looked at Mitsuru without cracking any form of expression and continued, "This is a win-win for us, is it not? Ever since our companies split, neither of us have been doing as well as the public eye might think. Along with that, I have word that the weapons technology branch of the Kirijo group is also sorely lacking. We at Nanjo have the expertise and scientists needed to make these weapons to combat this...threat, you have been facing. We have employed a middleman, Kurosawa, who will be contacting you shortly."

Mitsuru bit her lip in response, and managed a few words of her own, "Do the rest of the Nanjo group know about this, that you will be selling us weapons as a form of investment."

"Of course not. I told them raising the company's funds would be my job, and they do not question. Though, if word of this does get out to the public, I can assure you that we have ways to deal with that."

If Mitsuru had the temper of Akihiko and Shinjiro combined, she would have definitely froze the entire office over if not for the _sinking suspicion that either Nanjo or the man who stood guard at the door knew one thing or another about using a Persona._

* * *

The following months to almost a year were a busy time for both, on Kei's end with business proposals, and Mitsuru's end with a flurry of team mates leaving, joining and an unfortunate memorial ceremony for one of her oldest friends. It also reached the attention of the former that Takeharu Kirijo had also passed away, and there was an invitation for him to the service.

Where normally he would do his best to avoid going, Kei had a sort of respect for Takeharu. He would not admit it openly, but despite being at odds with him, Takeharu was almost like a mentor figure to him in his early days when the two companies were together.

The third time they met was at said service, if only briefly.

The ceremony was as usual, with a sombre mood and a long procession before the lowered the late Kirijo's body into the ground. While most guests were silent, muffled sobs could be heard from Hanae Kirijo, Mitsuru standing over with a hand on her shoulder. From the corner of his eye, Kei could the heiress bite her lips as people slowly departed.

Eventually, only he and Mitsuru remained.

From the way she immediately cracked as soon as everyone left, Kei could tell how great he impact losing her father was. Even in the midst of the entire procession, she had to keep a straight face in order to maintain her dignity in front of all the others.

 _Losing a father figure._

Kei knew all too well how that felt. Memories of long ago surfaced and in his mind, he could remember a bloodied Yamaoka dying in his arms and following that; a series of lights and surge of power as he summoned his persona.

The crying woman before him now was just as he was, not some mighty persona user ready to save the world, not the successor to a rich business tycoon, but just a girl who will now eternally miss the comforts of a father figure.

Removing his windbreaker, Kei placed it over a shivering Mitsuru.

* * *

With Aigis destroyed and the revelation of Nyx's impending apocalypse through Ryoji, the members of SEES had been almost listless for the past few weeks, more specifically a certain blue haired member who had pretty much shut down and holed himself up in his room.

Even though the choice seemed clear as day, which was not to kill Ryoji, the way he had described Nyx as some all powerful being had begun to set doubts in everyone's mind. Why bother to beat the unbeatable and just live the remaining days in bliss? Though ridiculous even for her standards, the Empress had found the offer rather tempting.

Why waste the effort, when one could simply take the easy way out? But she had a bold front to maintain. If she were to speak out her opinions so readily, surely the rest would criticise.

Mitsuru then busied herself with regular visits to the laboratory, updating herself on Aigis' repairs and frequently helping out the process due to the shortage of engineers. The past week had been spent on restoring her vocal functions, so the visits felt a little less lonely when she had someone to talk to.

So when Mitsuru entered the Kirijo laboratory, the last thing she expected was to find Kei Nanjo screwing bolts to hold Aigis' headgear together.

"What are you doing here?"

"Exactly what it looks," Kei responds, not shifting his glance as he finishes the last screw and wipes the sweat from his brow, "is everything properly fixed, Aigis? I need you to tell me."

"Affirmative," the anti-shadow weapon responded, "I would also like to thank you for the repairs on my bullet cartridges and leg boosters as well."

For a moment, Mitsuru could catch the smallest glimpse of a smile on Kei's face. Not the smirk that he had given her when he had forcefully made her agree on the weapon-selling contract, but one that exuded genuine happiness.

Catching her gaze, Kei quickly composed himself, pushing up his glasses and continuing to work on Aigis' right arm, "I'll have you know that I'm only here because your dear friend here has some expensive equipment made by our company. I see that you have obviously not been treating it with utmost care."

"Are you sure it's ethical to use a Persona to bypass all the security?"

Kei's movements halted, but only for a moment as he resumed his work, not giving the heiress more than that.

"What do you gain out of helping us?" Mitsuru pressed.

"Mitsuru-san?"

This time it was Aigis who spoke, "While it is true that Nanjo-san did reach this place in a rather questionable manner, I believe that his intentions are good and mean no harm. In fact, prior to your visit, he had actually come with new weapons and upgradeable parts to further enhance me."

"Moreover, Nanjo-san also said-"

"Aigis!" the man in question quickly stopped the mechanical maiden before she could speak anymore, "We're going to have to do a hard reboot of the system to ensure all functions can be read and no anomalies linger."

"Oh, alright. Then I bid you goodnight Nanjo-san, Mitsuru-san."

Kei proceeded to hit a few switches, Aigis' light blue eyes slowly drained of its colour before becoming blank, the entire android's body being shut down. Mitsuru only looked on as he started packing the lab equipment that was thrown around the place.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Pushy, as always," Kei rolled his eyes and headed for the exit, "I always take pride in maintaining the best quality products and that our customers are always satisfied. Treat this as just another business dealing, Kirijo, and let's leave it at that."

Before she could probe any further, the doors slammed shut and Mitsuru could hear the sound of footsteps steadily getting further away.

"It does frustrate me that I never know what that man is thinking…"

Walking back to the work desk, a small, coloured note caught Mitsuru's eye. On the neatly folded paper, it read: _Your friend should be fully repaired by the time you read this note. I know not of the problems you face, but I will say one thing: never take the easy way out. Unless of course, you want to prove me right and show that my competitor can't even handle pressuring situations._

 _This will likely be the last time you see me, as I will be abroad for a long time due to company matters._

 _Within the week, if you do decide to visit Kurosawa, you will notice a significant decrease in the weapon prices. Make no mistake that this is some sort of discount. The Nanjo group is now much more properly funded and I see no need to impose higher taxes on your group._

Unknowingly, a small smile crept up Mitsuru's face.

"Business as usual. Right, Nanjo?"

* * *

 **Year 2012. Weeks Prior to the P-1 Grand Prix**

"Ms Kirijo, you have a phone call from abroad."

Mitsuru raised her brow as Kikuno, her most trusted maidservant, handed her the office phone. It was certainly odd to have a call that was not local, since most of them recently were either to report activities of rogue shadows or requests to help clear out said shadows. Moreover, it was an overseas call, which could only mean one person.

Eyeing the number knowingly, the Empress answered the call, "Mitsuru speaking, how may I help you?"

"I hope you are not busy now, Kirijo."

The tapping noises on her laptop slowed as she took in the voice from the other side: condescending, almost arrogant, irritable and most of all, familiar.

"No more than you probably are too, Nanjo."

"Hmm, I just happen to be waiting for a business function to start," Kei spoke, and Mitsuru could almost picture the proud man pushing his spectacles up, "terribly dull one too. I thought I might like to address a certain letter you may have received last week."

 _Ah,_ Mitsuru smirked, _THAT one._ It was only a matter of time

"I take it that you and I would be thinking of the same thing."

"Of course. We're far too busy for something like an arranged marriage to work. Personally, I'm not too fond of being wed to someone with an almost ten year age gap. I'm also certain that I am rather low on your list of potential future husbands."

Mitsuru did her best to control the laugh that was about to leave her lips. Indeed, what he said was true. She had other more pressing matters to handle, and he was always in a different place every other month.

That, and his last point was probably true.

The conversation quickly derailed before anything business-like could be brought up. The bulk of it had the Empress recounting incidents involving stray shadows and he about how he was so busy he needed an assistant to help him plan food schedules for the fear of forgetting to eat his basic three meals.

Though odd, Mitsuru found that talking to the man she once disliked for being the way he was and a business competitor to someone who communicated with her on a routinely basis was rather...comforting.

They both were in similar situations after all. Though Mitsuru had the company of Aigis, she did find it hard to get ahold of any former dorm-mates, making the calls with the Nanjo heir something she looked forward to.

"Curses…" the voice on the other end swore, "the guests have started arriving sooner than I thought. It seems that I have to cut this conversation short for now."

"You're in your thirties and yet you still complain about such things?"

"If this is the direction you want to take this conversation, Kirijo…"

Mitsuru could almost hear the loud sighs he was making as he continued, "Well then, should the opportunity arise, I shall contact you again."

"Of course."

With what seemed to be like shouting from Kei's end, the call ended abruptly, leaving only a dial tone ringing in her ears and a now quiet office space. Deciding that there was no need to further linger in the office for the day., Mitsuru quickly gathered her belongings and prepared to leave…

...before taking a final look at the bronze plated phone that lay on her table.

 _Hmm._

Dialing in the number that called her, and completely unsure if it would be the same one he would use in the coming days, the Empress left a voice message before quickly leaving the room.

" _If you're interested in any more business enquiries, Nanjo, call this number to make an appointment with me._

 _Also, I wish you all the best in your endeavours."_

* * *

Had several bouts of sickness as I tried to write this, so if there are errors that I may have overlooked, please tell me.

As always, leave a review and tell me who you might want to see meet!

PS: Will try and get P2 and P4 characters too!


End file.
